For fans of Sleeping Beauty, the latest DVD release from Disney- one of their "Platinum" editions with 2 discs and games and so on- is worth full price. It gives the fans a chance to see the film as it was originally intended for theaters, in a 2:20:1 aspect ratio (even slimmer than 2:35, think the aspect ratio of Ben-Hur for comparison), and all of the cinematic detail, of the backgrounds and the characters in the foreground, is all there with digitally restored picture and sound. If nothing else, even as I didn't care for the film itself very much, it is worth sort of rejoicing. Sort of.
I didn't like the movie (!) Yes, not by a lot. Compared to the other Disney films of the period, even with the other Princess films (Snow White and Cinderella, even if they aren't princesses all the way through), this one falls short. The main characters are bland, even by Disney standards which for protagonists, ESPECIALLY the male prince characters, are without personality. Watching these characters do little on screen but prance in the woods and immediately fall in love just made me think fondly of other Disney films, including the "new" crop from the past twenty years like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, which have similar fantastic stories and one-dimensional leads only given more personality and depth and flaws.
It's like Disney and his team took a lot of the elements from past films and cobbled them together. It's not that the film is even all bad, far from it. Any time Maleficent or her troll-like minions come on screen, or when the movie by proxy of her evil magic gets dark, suddenly the movie comes alive. Particularly so this happens when Princess Aurora, left alone in the room by her three good-hearted but dim-witted magic women, goes up the staircase following a green light in a trance (Vertigo, anyone?) And of course things are often beautifully animated, such as those backgrounds and the matte paintings. Other times- and I know I may get crap for this- it looks oddly cheap, dated.
There is magic stuff here, and classic moments, and a scene with the two kings as they get drunk that's actually quite funny and lively and feels entertaining. But the rest of the film is a sort of plastic farce, where characters do stupid (or just Disney-generic) things and it takes so long to get to better parts that aren't clouded by ill-logic (i.e. the making-everyone-in-the-kingdom-asleep trick that seems kind of, I dunno, wrong on some level seeing it all grown up). Perhaps for kids it works much better, or for those who are only looking for some of the 'classic' Disney animation in full widescreen. But so much of it is lacking in ways that just elude me, and make me want to go back to the other Disney classics for better results.
I didn't like the movie (!) Yes, not by a lot. Compared to the other Disney films of the period, even with the other Princess films (Snow White and Cinderella, even if they aren't princesses all the way through), this one falls short. The main characters are bland, even by Disney standards which for protagonists, ESPECIALLY the male prince characters, are without personality. Watching these characters do little on screen but prance in the woods and immediately fall in love just made me think fondly of other Disney films, including the "new" crop from the past twenty years like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, which have similar fantastic stories and one-dimensional leads only given more personality and depth and flaws.
It's like Disney and his team took a lot of the elements from past films and cobbled them together. It's not that the film is even all bad, far from it. Any time Maleficent or her troll-like minions come on screen, or when the movie by proxy of her evil magic gets dark, suddenly the movie comes alive. Particularly so this happens when Princess Aurora, left alone in the room by her three good-hearted but dim-witted magic women, goes up the staircase following a green light in a trance (Vertigo, anyone?) And of course things are often beautifully animated, such as those backgrounds and the matte paintings. Other times- and I know I may get crap for this- it looks oddly cheap, dated.
There is magic stuff here, and classic moments, and a scene with the two kings as they get drunk that's actually quite funny and lively and feels entertaining. But the rest of the film is a sort of plastic farce, where characters do stupid (or just Disney-generic) things and it takes so long to get to better parts that aren't clouded by ill-logic (i.e. the making-everyone-in-the-kingdom-asleep trick that seems kind of, I dunno, wrong on some level seeing it all grown up). Perhaps for kids it works much better, or for those who are only looking for some of the 'classic' Disney animation in full widescreen. But so much of it is lacking in ways that just elude me, and make me want to go back to the other Disney classics for better results.